Calling all art enthusiasts!

If
you have a passion for art and how it is cared for, come and see the process in
action at the Ashburton Public Library on Thursday 22 February.

Ashburton
District Council’s extensive and varied art collection is currently the focus
of an assessment to determine its condition and how it is housed, and the
community is invited to see how the task is undertaken first hand.

“If
you’ve visited the Library or Council Chambers, chances are you’ve spotted some
impressive pieces on display. This assessment is important in making sure the
collection is correctly catalogued so that it can be properly cared for and
enjoyed for years to come,” Council Community Relations Manager Vincie Billante
says.

Amongst
the collection are a significant number of local artworks, both pictorial and
object, and assessments carried out to date have uncovered some real treasures,
Ms Billante says.

“The
team from the Ashburton Art Gallery have been busy assessing the works since
July last year and are about to move onto the Library, so it’s a perfect
opportunity for the public to see what is involved and ask questions they might
have about the process.”

Ashburton
Art Gallery Curator Shirin Khosraviani, who will be carrying out some of the
work at the Library, says the assessment has been an exciting process and there
are some remarkable pieces included in the collection.

“We’ve
uncovered a variety of items, including ceramic works by Len Castle and David
Brokenshire and paintings by Colin Wheeler, Austen Deans, and local artist
Henry Lowen-Smith. We’re looking forward to sharing some of our knowledge with
the community, so pop by next week and have a look at what we’ve been doing.”

The
Council’s art collection is stored and displayed at a number of sites, which
also include the Council administration building and Ashburton Trust Event
Centre. Once the assessment is complete, Council will have a better
understanding of the works in its possession, their worth and how they should
be managed moving forward.

The
community will be able to see the Art Gallery team at work from 1.00pm – 5.00pm
at the Ashburton Library on 22 February. ​